Trump administration drops Reflecting Pool case, blaming damage on ‘botched’ installation  —  The Justice Department said “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Trump says he wishes anti-weaponization fund wasn't dead, angering senators he needs to confirm Blanche  —  President Donald Trump said Friday that the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund for so-called victims of government abuse is “dead” - as much as he'd like it not to be.

Live Updates: Most of the Migrants Who Crossed Into Spanish Territory Have Returned, Officials Say  —  About 37,000 of the up to 60,000 people who came into Ceuta from Morocco returned within a day.  Still, the sudden influx created a crisis for Spain's pro-immigration government.  At least 34 people died.

Hackers targeted municipal water systems in 7 states this week, FBI says  —  The federal warning comes after more than 30 water facilities in Minnesota were breached. … Cyberattacks targeting municipal water systems have been reported in at least seven states this week …

U.S., Israel preparing to bombard energy-related targets in Iran, sources say  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Washington — The United States and Israel are planning what would be one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date against energy infrastructure targets in Iran, multiple sources told CBS News …

Warsh Considers Reducing Frequency of Fed Policy Meetings  —  The Federal Reserve has met at least eight times a year for decades.  Reducing the number of meetings would represent the biggest change by Kevin M. Warsh since he became chairman.  —  Kevin M. Warsh is considering reducing …

Editor of Washington Post Opinion Section Resigns After 1 Year  —  Adam O'Neal inherited a mandate from the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, to shift toward “personal liberties and free markets.”  —  Adam O'Neal, the top editor of The Washington Post's opinion section, resigned on Friday …

How the Pro-Trump Media Ecosystem Is Splintering Ahead of the Midterms  —  Once united in support of President Trump, right-wing influencers are embroiled in feuds and losing viewers, creating a problem for Republicans in the midterm elections.  —  Benny Johnson, a right-wing podcaster …

Google Earth's New AI Lets Anyone Fabricate Completely Bullshit Satellite Images  —  On Thursday, Google introduced a new AI feature into Google Earth which lets anyone fabricate all sorts of misleading or straight up inaccurate satellite imagery, from making it look like a specific place …

What Susan Collins Just Did on Trump and ICE Should Worry All Dems  —  Last month, an ICE agent gunned down a 25-year-old immigrant father outside his house in Biddeford, Maine.  The shooting was a horror.  His three-year-old daughter was seen crying after the killing.  The victim has been widely described as a good man.

LAPD officer who recorded colleagues' racist comments charged with felony eavesdropping  — 5 min Click here to listen to this article … - Prosecutors are expected to charge that LAPD officer Daniel Flores violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act, which prohibits recording others without their consent.

Sen. Bernie Moreno Doesn't ‘Know’ if Embattled Rep. Max Miller Should Stay on Ballot  —  Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio is unsure whether Rep. Max Miller should stay on the ballot in his House district after Miller was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife — who is also the senator's daughter.

Trump Administration Plans to Upend Head Start by Deregulating It  —  The White House tried but failed to block funding for preschool for poor children.  Instead, it will seek to strip away standards on health, literacy — and brushing teeth.  —  The Trump administration is preparing …

Elon Musk planning to throw financial support behind Susan Collins' U.S. Senate bid  —  Musk's America PAC reportedly intends to spend $100 million to $120 million to help Republicans in Senate races in Maine and several other states.  —  3 min readFont size +

George Santos Settles Kalshi Insider Trading Case With the CFTC  —  The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Friday that it has settled a case involving former Rep. George Santos, who was facing an insider trading investigation by the Justice Department for betting on his own attendance …

How Trump Has Changed, With Maggie Haberman  —  This is an edited transcript of “The Ezra Klein Show.”  You can listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts.  —  Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent at The New York Times, a Pulitzer Prize winner and an author …

Vermont's GOP governor defends state-run elections and mail-in voting as Trump aims to reshape them  —  Gov. Phil Scott disagreed with Trump's push to reshape election systems in the U.S., arguing that “this is ours, not the federal government's.”  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE

Obama's Refreshingly Frank Verdict on Trump Revealed  —  BURN BOOK  —  The former president got extremely candid on a private phone call.  —  Former President Barack Obama tore into his successor Donald Trump in private as an “idiot” and a “liar,” a secret diary has revealed.